Communication in Small Groups Chapter 5 Brainstorming Exercise

Communication in Small Groups Chapter 5

Brainstorming Exercise

Group Archetypes # Group archetypes Distinctive contextual features Theoretical foci 2 self-managing work team quasi-independent group in complex organization seeking efficiency group competence and task effectiveness 3 deliberative jury zero-history groups seeking unanimity on specific legal questions social influence and decision making 4 groupthink (in committee), consensual democracy, and parliamentary council committees/councils with ongoing decision-making responsibility effective discussion procedures 5 task force, heist team, and X-team ad hoc groups subject to external forces demanding innovation diversity, creativity, and information flows 6 athletic teams with well-established role conventions pursuing narrow goals teamwork, leadership, roles, and status 7 harmonious/acrimonious family, band, gang 8 consciousness-raising and activist groups countercultural sites of identity invention and/or affirmation norms, socialization, symbolic convergence, and social identity 9 support, play, therapeutic, and collaborative learning groups safe, exploratory spaces promoting personal growth unconscious behavior, individual learning, and group development intimate and relationally charged entities with unity pressure relational communication, cohesion, and interpersonal conflict

Group Effectiveness Comparisons (Optional: Poll students on effectiveness of their journal group, and plot results based on other variables, such as these…) • Group size • Group diversity of interests • Shared history (maturity)

Comparison: Diversity of Interests (Blank chart for optional exercise) Brainstorming Score 320 240 160 80 High Low xxx

Comparison: Group Size Brainstorming Score 320 240 160 80 3 4 5 6 Group Size 7 8

Comparison: Diversity of Interests Brainstorming Score 320 240 160 80 None 50% 100% % of Grp with Unique Cultural Expertise

Comparison: Shared History Brainstorming Score 320 240 160 80 Low Medium Hours Spent Together High

High Positive attitudes toward diversity (No subgroups ever perceived) Negative attitude toward diversity (Subgroups perceived when real faultlines exist) Low Effectiveness of Group Process Diversity and Faultlines None Severe Objective Demographic Faultlines in Group

Group diversity, creativity, information Equality and dynamism of group structure Emphasis on innovation and diversity Strength of link between status and expertise Resources devoted to training Economic pressure to innovate Changing workforce demographics Social stratification Anti-discrimination laws Cultural orientations (individualist/collectivist, hierarchical/egalitarian) Maturity and cohesion of group Group size and resources Distribution of expertise and external ties Members’ status consciousness and openness to diversity, change, and new ideas Integration of physical resources Idea generation Information seeking and exchange Attention to group structure and process Originality and quality of decisions and/or recommendations Effectiveness of coordinated action Satisfaction with process and outcomes

Group members’ information stocks Lead Chef Takes up 50% of meeting time; no information bias. Deputy Chef Takes up 25% of time; slightly favors shared information. Group discussion 1. 1 Pies are our specialty (66% chance of mention) 2. 1 The nearby market sells groundnuts (66% chance) 3. 1 Groundnuts and peanuts are synonymous (66% chance) Head Chef: “Pies are our specialty. ” 1. 2 Pies are our specialty (40% chance) 4. 1 Our key limes have gone rotten (30% chance) 5. 1 Groundnuts are popular in Nigeria (30% chance) Dpty. Chef: “Groundnuts are popular in Nigeria. ” Head Chef: “The nearby market sells groundnuts. ” Head Waiter: “Pies are our specialty!” Head Waiter Takes up 25% of time; strong bias toward shared info. Group decision 1. 3 Pies are our specialty (60% chance) 5. 2 Groundnuts are popular in Nigeria (30% chance) 6. 1 Nigerian emissary has a peanut allergy (10% chance) Decision: We shall make groundnut pie for the Nigerian emissary.